The Two-Way

1:18 pm

Sun December 9, 2012

American Doctor Rescued From Captors In Afghanistan

U.S. forces rescued Sunday an American doctor who was kidnapped in Afghanistan last week.

Dr. Dilip Joseph of Colorado Springs, Colo., was kidnapped Dec. 5 along with two other aid workers who were returning from a visit to a rural medical clinic outside Kabul. All three worked for Morning Star Development, a Colorado-based nonprofit.

NPR's Sean Carberry reported on the rescue for our Newscast Unit. Here's what he said:

"According to Morning Star, the three men were driving back to the city [Kabul] after a visit to a clinic in a rural part of Kabul Province. They were abducted by armed men in Surobi District and moved farther east to Laghman Province. Two of the captives, both Afghans, were released yesterday [Saturday] after days of negotiations with the captors. The U.S. military says seven Taliban were killed in the pre-dawn operation to rescue Joseph. U.S. forces would not say whether there were any U.S. or Afghan casualties. Morning Star says Joseph will return to Colorado Springs after a few days of evaluation at Bagram Air Field."

Morning Star said Joseph had worked with the group for three years, and served as its medical adviser. He travels frequently to Afghanistan.

In a statement, Gen. John Allen, the commander of the coalition operations in Afghanistan, lauded the operation.

Update at 6:01 p.m. ET American Service Member Died During Rescue Mission

In a statement late Sunday from the White House, President Obama revealed that one of the service members involved in the mission was killed during the operation. Here's the statement in full:

"Yesterday, our special operators in Afghanistan rescued an American citizen in a mission that was characteristic of the extraordinary courage, skill and patriotism that our troops show every day. Tragically, we lost one of our special operators in this effort. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, just as we must always honor our troops and military families. He gave his life for his fellow Americans, and he and his teammates remind us once more of the selfless service that allows our nation to stay strong, safe and free."